A common method for injecting medicine into a patient utilizes a vial of medicine and a standard syringe having a needle. The vial has a septum, which seals an end of the vial. To prepare for an injection, the medical professional draws back the plunger in the syringe so that there is a quantity of air in the syringe. The medical professional then pierces the vial septum with the needle and injects the air from the syringe into the vial to pressurize the medicine in the vial. The medicine is then drawn into the syringe from the vial by drawing back the plunger until the desired dose is in the syringe. The syringe is then removed from the vial's septum.
After the syringe is removed from the vial, the needle may be removed and replaced with a new needle either because the needle may become dulled by the vial septum or it may be desirable to utilize a smaller gauge needle for the injection. After the needle is replaced, air is purged from the syringe by inverting the syringe so that the needle faces upwardly, and the plunger is advanced to purge the air. The injection is then given to the patient.
Handling of such medical devices after the needle is withdrawn from the patient can result in transmission of various pathogens, most notably human immune virus (HIV), due to an inadvertent needle stick to medical personnel. Accordingly, it is desirable to create an easier, safer and more efficient manner for extracting medicine from a standard vial and injecting it into a patient.